Tuesday, 31 May 2011

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 11, 2007): A group of 30 animal lovers from several organisations marched to the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) today to loudly protest against the council’s dog-catching competition which is offering RM15,000 as the first prize to residents committees.

Representatives from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Malaysian Animal Rights and Welfare Association, Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (PetPositive) and the Coalition of Animal Lovers chanted "Stop the hunt!" and held up posters to get their message through.

MPS enforcement officers stood on guard at the main entrance of the MPS tower, while the group led by SPCA chairwoman Christina Chin, the Coalition’s Natasha Valerie Fernz and PetPositive president Anthony Thanasayan marched in, with DAP’s Ronnie Liu and N. Surendran in tow.

They wanted to hand over a joint memorandum to MPS president Zainal Abidin Azim but he was on leave.

MPS assistant public relations officer Helda Syima Abu Talab met the group with some colleagues, including officers from the enforcement unit, but the group asked instead to see the health and municipal services director.

The crowd’s patience was further tested by a Selayang resident who spoke aloud about the lack of concern for dog-bitten victims, and defended throwing stones at stray dogs, saying these dogs threatened people.

Amid this, animal groomer Nuraini Rozaiti Mahamud, 35, stole the show with her Mix.fm life-size cardboard cutouts of radio DJs Ika, Serena C and Pietro in one hand, and her Australian silky terrier Phoebe in the other.

Nuraini said she would allocate some of the RM50,000 prize money – if she won the Mix.fm competition that ends on Friday (Sept 14) – to animal shelters, and treat orphans to a kenduri, besides pursuing her studies in animal psychiatry in Australia.

She waved off concerns that she would get into trouble if a picture of her and Phoebe was published, saying she did not neglect her Islamic obligations of samak (washing with mud), and found it an easier task with the taharah soap (made of mud) found in traditional Malay medicinal shops.

An MPS assistant administration officer finally persuaded the group to hand over their memorandum to Helda because the health and municipal services director was in a meeting.

The memorandum states that stray animals were a result of irresponsible owners who dumped and abandoned their pets or owned pets that were not neutered.

Together, the organisations called for:

an immediate end to the dog-catching competition;

implementation of highly effective neutering initiatives;

fines against irresponsible pet owners who dump and abandon their pets;

implementation of smart, humane and effective legislation to promote responsible pet ownership; and

SAY SORRY : Molly (left) and brother Pavithiran want the council to apologise

SELAYANG: A family has alleged their pet dogs were forcefully taken from their home in Taman Seri Gombak by Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) enforcement officers and beaten at its pound despite having valid licences.

S. Gunasegar, 48, said his dogs, an Irish Terrier and a Chihuahua mixed breed named Tiger and Tommy respectively, suffered body and leg injuries as a result of the beatings.

“My veterinarian told me that the injuries to my pets were consistent with beatings using a sharp object,” he told The Malay Mail.

Gunasegar said his neighbours told him the council officers came to his house about 10.30am on May 4 when he and his family were on holiday in Malacca.

“My house gate was left unlocked and the officers had barged in and took hold of my dogs without any prior notice given,” he said, adding the council officers said they took his pets due to complaints by neighbours irritated by the constant barking.

“I had to pay a RM200 fine but my two pets, which used to be so lively, looked lifeless when I brought them back on May 6.”

His daughter Molly, 23, said: “Tommy's thick hair had to be shaved off so that the veterinarian could take a closer look at its skin injuries due to the beating. The two days our dogs were at the pound also traumatised both, and Tiger, which is one and a half years old, also fainted.”

Gunasegar said he wanted an apology and RM5,000 as compensation from the council for the ill-treatment of his pets.

“My dogs are licensed and the council officers had no right to enter my property without permission.”

25 FEBRUARY 2010, SELAYANG – Visits by the Society For The Prevention of Cruelty To Animals (SPCA Selangor) and animal rescuers to the Majlis Perbandaran Selayang (MPS) dog pound in Rawang in the last few days have revealed that the pound is grossly mismanaged, and that almost a dozen dogs have died in the pound since Sunday.

On Sunday, an animal rescuer visited the pound and reported that it appeared the dogs were not being fed or watered. She brought back 5 emaciated puppies, one of which was dying already. The SPCA vets had to euthanise the puppies due to their severe condition, and sent them for a post-mortem at the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) on Monday morning.

SPCA’s help declinedSPCA contacted MPS Director of Health and Licensing Dr. Razif Zainol Abidin on Monday morning, offering a supply of dog food and assistance with improving conditions at the pound. However, Dr Razif declined the offers, saying that the MPS had food and did not need help with the pound.

Later on Monday, the SPCA Selangor Inspectors and vet went to the pound, but were denied access to the pound. The caretaker refused to let them in, as he did not want to get into any trouble with the management. However, after some coaxing he allowed them to go in briefly to look around – but warned them not to take any photos. There were approximately 20 dogs and puppies in the kennels, only half of which appeared to be in reasonable health. The kennels and dogs were heavily infested with ticks. Volunteers from animal rescue groups Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better and AnimalCare had brought food and water containers, and bags of dog food earlier and had fed and watered the dogs.

Two dogs lie dead in the MPS Pound on Wednesday morning

“Though the floor had been washed down, there was no evidence that the kennels were disinfected regularly to prevent the spread of prevailing diseases in the pound like distemper, parvovirus, and tick-fever,” says SPCA Selangor Veterinarian Dr Karen Koh. There were four dogs in one kennel that looked very ill and emaciated. “Since providing medical care for the dogs is beyond the means of the council, they must ensure that dogs that are severely injured or ill are euthanized by a vet promptly, and not left suffering in these enclosures for days,” says SPCA Selangor Animal Inspector Cunera Kimlon.

A second visit was made early Wednesday morning. The gate to the pound was open, and the SPCA team began inspecting the kennels again and taking photographs. The sickly dogs that were seen two days earlier were no longer around. All the puppies had been placed together in one kennel, while the neighbouring kennels housed 2-3 adult dogs each. Food and water placed by animal rescuers was still there. Two dogs were found dead, a brown mix-breed dog and a black Spitz-mix wearing a red collar.

“We were invited to a meeting with Majlis Perbandaran Selayang, to discuss how to immediately improve this miserable situation the pound dogs are facing, but this invitation was immediately revoked upon them learning of our pound visit on Wednesday morning,” says SPCA Selangor Chairman Christine Chin. “However, we are still keen on teaching them how to manage their pound better in the short-term and long-term – if they are willing to accept our help. Municipals should be encouraging animal loving constituents to help at the pound, not chasing them out,” she continues.

Puppies, some too small to drink from the water container

Council in the spotlight againIn 2007, MPS incurred the wrath of dog-lovers all over the world when they decided to initiate a financially rewarding dog-catching competition inviting the public to participate in what looked like ‘fun-filled festivity’ to reduce the stray population. The competition was quickly scrapped after protests from animal welfare NGOs and the public. Animal welfare NGOs have always highlighted that reducing the stray population requires a long-term strategy - low-cost spay/neuter programs, public awareness campaigns, proper licensing and effective legislation discouraging abandonment of pets or allowing them to stray in their neighbourhood.

SPCA pressures for prosecutionSPCA Selangor has over the years lobbied the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) to regulate and monitor dog-catching activities and the management of council pounds. Last year, the DVS issued the ‘Guidelines for Humane Stray Management for Local Councils’ to all Malaysian municipal councils, but few improvements have been made by the councils – with even basic needs such as food, water and a clean environment often not provided for the dogs.

“SPCA Selangor is pressing for a closure of all pounds that are not managed humanely, and strongly condemns those that reject help from animal welfare groups. This withholding of food, water, and medical attention causing unnecessary pain, suffering and death to the impounded dogs is tantamount to cruelty to animals. MPS officials in charge of the pound management must be charged for cruelty to animals under Section 43 of The Animal Act 1953(revised 2006). The DVS must take strong action against these perpetrators as this offense is so widespread – municipal councils feel the law will never catch them as they have been getting away with it for years,” Chin urges.

‘We are shocked and disappointed with the conditions at the Selayang pound, and we are sending out a strong message that SPCA Selangor and fellow Malaysians find the inhumane treatment of these dogs completely unacceptable,” she continues.

There are some very serious questions that need to be answered. According to a friend who has been going to the pound for the last three years, these three dogs were alive when she went to the Selayang Municipal Council Pound on Sunday. However, they were all dead and bundled-up when she went the following day.There are now allegations that these dogs - which were sick - were drowned.

It didn't cross our minds that this could have happened until several people wrote to us asking why the dead dogs in the pix were wet? It breaks our hearts to see the pictures of these dead dogs - look at the big brown guy with the collar - he looks like someone's much loved pet.

As it is Ernie - 013-6064446 admitted that she seized dogs without issuing compounds and owners were fined RM1,000 to reclaim their dogs. There have also been many complaints that she does not allow anyone into the pound - this is reflective even up to today when members of the publicwere told that they can't go in and feed the dogs.

Local council pounds must be accessible to the public - that's how its supposed to be. We are also concerned about a black patch where a dog had been purportedly cremated - why was this carcass cremated when the rest were wrapped in garbage bags - was this dog really dead when it was set on fire? These are the questions which need answers.

Anyway, according to rumours the SPCA was told that it was barred from yesterday's meeting because it had gone to the pound to take pictures in the wee hours of the morning. The MPS people didn't tell them this but an individual did. Many of the dogs had also been killed on Tuesday and six more were brought in on Wed - wonder how many of them were seized without the owners being compounded?What happened here?

If the Klang pound was bad, the Selayang Municipal Council pound is mayhem at its worst. These pictures were taken by an animal activist who has been trying to bring change to the Selayang pound for years. The pictures were taken today morning (21-02-2001). According to her there were many dead dogs lying around and some had been packed in black garbage bags and placed at the entrance of the pound. There were a lot of blood on the floor and according to the caretaker the dogs have not been given food and water at all because ‘they did not have containers.’ He said the Department of Veterinary Services people have not been to the pound for about a month. The dogs are dropping dead of starvation and dehydration. The place is a nightmare and even some of the councilors have voiced their concern to us. So, people we have to go back to doing what we did for the Klang Pound which had brought about some change. Please forward this to as many people as possible and write to the people whose e-mails we have included in this post. Please also sms the local councilors to tell them that we will not tolerate such cruelty. According to the activist erica chum - she has been highlighting the deplorable state of the pound for the last three years but no one had taken the initiative to do anything about it. She says she has seen many horrific things during her almost weekly visits to the pound - such a dog with one eye popping out once. She also alleges that dead puppies were simply washed into the drains. According to Erica, the vet who's supposed to go the the pound does not do so anymore because of the new location at Rawang. So, she says the dogs are left to die of starvation. These are serious allegations. However, we are sure that people , who had not bothered to do anything so far, will all rush to the pound soon. Whatever, it is - let justice be done for the voiceless.